Drainage support apparatus

ABSTRACT

A drainage support apparatus and culvert drain inlet adapter. In accordance with one embodiment, the drainage support apparatus includes a substantially rigid conduit support member having bottom and lateral containment surfaces and an open channel slot running the length of the conduit support member. The apparatus further includes water-permeable barriers transversely disposed in relative abutment at each of the open-faced longitudinal ends of the conduit support member such that the water-permeable barriers substantially prevent aggregate material contained within the apparatus from passing through the open longitudinal ends of the conduit support member. In an alternate embodiment, a culvert pipe inlet adapter of the present invention includes a frame member having a raised drain orifice, and further includes sheet members extending in a saddle-like manner from each of the two lateral sides of the frame member. The inlet adapter can be fitted lengthwise onto a suitably apertured culvert pipe section in a manner such that the culvert pipe is backfill buried while the drain inlet orifice remains above ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to drainage systems and inparticular to an apparatus and method for collecting and drainingsurface water. More particularly, the present invention relates to anunderground support apparatus for controlling fluid flow in a covered orpartially covered drainage channel or culvert.

2. Description of the Related Art

Water drainage systems comprising ditches, canals arroyos, etc., arecommonly utilized in and around communities and farms as a means ofdraining and redirecting excess rainfall to prevent flooding orundesirable water collection and retention. Ditches are commonly duglengthwise in parallel with the sides of major traffic thoroughfares tocontrol flooding thereon, particularly in areas in which road, building,and home construction have dramatically reduced the exposed earthsurface area on which the rain or runoff may be absorbed into theground. In addition to reducing roadway flood hazards, the dispositionof drainage ditches adjacent to streets and highways is logisticallyconvenient in terms of minimizing the obstruction posed by ditches tothe community layout.

There are a variety of known types of drainage conduit trenchesincluding open ditches, culverts, closed aqueducts, etc. Having lowconstruction and maintenance costs and relatively high water drainagecapacity, open ditches are the most commonly utilized type of communitydrainage system. While effective for addressing flooding and long termwater drainage issues, conventional drainage systems often present majorlogistical problems in terms of consuming valuable space along the edgesof roadways that might otherwise be utilized as sidewalks, bicyclepaths, etc. This problem is particularly acute in areas neighborhoods orother developed areas not originally designed to accommodate pedestrianand cyclist traffic and in which the roadside area occupied by openditches leaves little if any room for a pedestrian and cyclist parallelto the roadway. In addition to rendering significant tracts of surfacespace unusable, open surface ditches provide additional habitation andbreeding grounds for insects, particularly mosquitoes, which pose anuisance and significant health hazard to resident humans and livestock.

It can therefore be appreciated that a need exists for an improvedapparatus, system and method for directing and draining collectingsurface water. The present invention addresses such a need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A drainage support apparatus and culvert drain inlet adapter aredisclosed herein. In accordance with one embodiment, the drainagesupport apparatus includes a substantially rigid conduit support memberhaving bottom and lateral containment surfaces and an open channel slotrunning the length of the conduit support member. The apparatus furtherincludes water-permeable barriers transversely disposed in relativeabutment at each of the open-faced longitudinal ends of the conduitsupport member such that the water-permeable barriers substantiallyprevent aggregate material contained within the apparatus from passingthrough the open longitudinal ends of the conduit support member. In analternate embodiment, a culvert pipe inlet adapter of the presentinvention includes a frame member having a raised drain orifice, andfurther includes sheet members extending in a saddle-like manner fromeach of the two lateral sides of the frame member. The inlet adapter canbe fitted lengthwise onto a suitably apertured culvert pipe section in amanner such that the culvert pipe is backfill buried while the is draininlet orifice remains above ground.

All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent in the following detailed written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as apreferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will bestbe understood by reference to the following detailed description of anillustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating component parts,respectively, of a drainage support system in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view depicting an assembled drainage supportapparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a culvert drain inlet adapterin accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view depicting an assembled culvert drainapparatus including the drain inlet adapter shown in FIG. 2A inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a cross-section view of an assembled culvert drain apparatusas disposed in a backfilled manner in the ground in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 3B is an overhead view of the backfilled culvert drain apparatusshown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a cross-section view of an assembled culvert drain apparatusin accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4B is a perspective view depicting a drain box incorporated in theassembled culvert drain apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is described in a preferred embodiment in thefollowing description with reference to the figures. While thisinvention is described in terms of the best mode for achieving thisinvention's objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachingswithout deviating from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The present invention is directed to a drainage support apparatus forfacilitating the collection and drainage of surface water whileeliminating problems associated with open ditches relating to surfaceobstruction, insect-related epidemics, and the need for frequentmaintenance and repair of open ditches. As explained in further detailwith reference to the figures, the drainage support apparatus includesstructural features and combinations of features enabling substantialportions of open ditches to be replaced with the present subsurfacebackfilled design. The drainage support apparatus is simple andinexpensive to fabricate, transport and install. In a second embodiment,a culvert drain inlet adapter apparatus is disclosed that enablestraditional underground culvert piping to be used to replace openditches.

With reference now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals referto like and corresponding parts throughout, and in particular withreference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are depicted perspective viewsillustrating component parts of a drainage support system in accordancewith the present invention. Specifically, a conduit support member 2forms the base retention structure for the drainage support apparatus ofthe present invention. Conduit support member 2 is preferably asubstantially rigid open shell member having bottom and lateralcontainment surfaces as shown in FIG. 1A. As depicted and explained withreference to FIG. 1C, conduit support member 2 provides a bounded flowsupport shell through which drainage fluid flows lengthwise into and outfrom the open faces 11 at its longitudinal ends. Conduit support member2 may be constructed of any substantially rigid material such as metalsor plastics and is preferable manufactured as a molded or extrudedplastic unit.

In an important feature of the present invention, conduit support member2 is designed to collect and direct water flow longitudinally and alsoto collect water draining vertically downward from the ground surface(not depicted) under which the assembly is installed. To this end,conduit support member 2 includes an open channel slot 3 running itslongitudinal extent. As shown in the depicted embodiment, conduitsupport member 2 is preferably formed generally as a half-cylinder suchthat open channel slot 3 has a width substantially equal to the innerdiameter of conduit support member 2. Conduit support member 2 ispreferably an injection molded unit for durability and ease ofmanufacturing and handling. The materials selected to cast conduitsupport member 2 preferably result in an open shell design capable ofsupporting a mass of aggregate material (depicted in FIG. 1C) prior toor following installation of conduit support member 2 within a trench orditch such that the upper edges 1 of conduit support member 2 are levelwith or below the adjacent ground surface.

To facilitate efficient transport and delivery to drainage installationsites, the drainage support apparatus of the present invention ispreferably designed to be installed as a transportably assembledcomposite unit. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1A and FIG. 1B, thedrainage support apparatus includes an aggregate containment harness 5having features cooperating with conduit support member 2 to form atransportable drainage support apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention such as that illustrated in FIG. 1C. Specifically, aggregatecontainment harness 5 comprises a pair of perforated or mesh-type endcontainment barriers 9 that allow water to pass therethrough whilesubstantially providing a containment barrier for the aggregate materialcontents deposited within conduit support member 2. As shown in thedepicted embodiment, end containment barriers 9 are mutually fixedlyattached by a pair of substantially lengthwise-incompressible supportrods 7 to form the composite unit.

Referring to FIG. 1C, there is illustrated a perspective view depictingan assembled drainage support apparatus 4 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in the depictedembodiment, drainage support apparatus 4 comprises aggregate containmentharness 5 coupled to conduit support member 2 such that thewater-permeable aggregate barriers provided by end containment barriers9 conform to and are disposed in relative abutment with each of theopen-face ends 11 of conduit support member 2. Referring to FIGS. 1A and1B in conjunction with FIG. 1C, support rods 7 connect end containmentbarriers 9 in mutual disposition corresponding to the transverse,relative abutted position of the containment barriers 9 against thelongitudinal ends of conduit support member 2. In this embodiment,aggregate containment harness 5 may be hand fitted, pressed or snapfitted as a separate piece onto conduit support member 2. In thismanner, the installer may remove aggregate containment harness 5 aftertransport and installation of drainage support apparatus 4 within atrench to eliminate the additional drainage flow obstruction posed byend containment barriers 9. In an alternate embodiment, aggregatecontainment harness 5, with or without support rods 7, may be attachedto conduit support member 2 during the manufacturing process to form aintegral composite unit.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1C, drainage support apparatus 4 furtherincludes a mass of aggregate material 6 contained within the bottom andside containment support provided by conduit support member 2. Inaccordance with the present invention, aggregate material 6 generallycomprises a loosely clustered mass of individual particle units such asinert mineral or polystyrene particles commonly utilized in undergroundseptic systems or french drains.

In accordance with the method of the present invention, drainage supportapparatus 4 is conformably installed within an earthen trench or ditchsuch that conduit support member 2 and end containment barriers 9 arebelow the adjacent ground surface. If the desired conduit length exceedsthe length of a single unit, more than one such drainage support unitmay be installed in an end-to-end manner. After installation within anopen trench (not depicted), the open surface above aggregate material 6(i.e. the area above and adjacent open channel slot 3) is backfilledwith water-permeable ground support material such as dirt, sand, sod, orthe like, such that drainage support apparatus 4 is encased by thesurrounding earthen trench walls on the sides of conduit support member2 and by a layer of cover soil from above. In this manner, conduitsupport member 2 provides a bottom-sealed and generally horizontalconduit (excepting the slight vertical incline required for non-pumpednatural drainage) such as is providing by conventional culvert piping,while furthermore facilitating substantial vertical collection ofdrainage from the ground surface above the apparatus without presentingthe surface obstruction and health and safety hazards posed by openditch drainage. Although not explicitly depicted in the figures herein,a water-permeable membrane made of geotextile or similar material, ispreferably installed across open channel slot 3 to provide an at leasttemporary barrier to backfill soil from being directly compressed andinterspersed within aggregate material 16. To further enhance the effectof drainage support apparatus 4 as a lengthwise vertical drainagecollection conduit, the backfill layer deposited over aggregate material6 is preferably less than 10 cm deep.

As a constituent feature of the buried apparatus, aggregate material 6serves several roles. As deposited along the drainage conduit pathbounded by conduit support member 2, aggregate material 6 forms a lowresistance flowpath through which the collected water flows. In arelated characteristic, the relative lower fluid resistance density ofthe mass of aggregate material 6 relative to the surrounding soilcombined with the siphoning effect of the drainage flowing through theaggregate generates a negative pressure which draws surface drainingwater into drainage support apparatus 4 along its entire open channelslot 3. Furthermore, aggregate material 6 facilitates the near-surfaceinstallation of drainage support apparatus 4 by providing sufficient,non-collapsible upward vertical support such that the ground surfaceabove the apparatus may be utilized such as for support pedestrian orvehicular traffic. The upwardly directed weight bearing load provided bythe disposition of aggregate material 6 substantially reduces oreliminates the downward forces that a conventional culvert pipe wouldotherwise bear, resulting in lighter weight and less expensive materialsrequired for conduit support member 2. In the foregoing manner, drainagesupport apparatus 4 provides a more space efficient drainage systemcombining the lengthwise drainage inlet capabilities of open ditcheswith the non-obstructiveness characteristics of underground drainagepipes and culverts.

With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, there are depicted perspective viewsillustrating a culvert drain inlet adapter and an assembled culvertdrain apparatus in accordance with alternate embodiments of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 2A, a culvert inlet adapter 15 in accordancewith the present invention generally comprises a water inlet framemember 26 having a pair of attachment sheet members 22 extending in acurved saddle-like or wing-like manner downwardly therefrom. Inaccordance with the depicted embodiment, and referring to FIG. 3A inconjunction with FIGS. 2A and 2B, frame member 26 is formed as arectangular box-like member defining a drain cavity 25 bounded by liquidimpermeable lateral sides 28 defining a raised drain inlet orifice overwhich a drain grate 16 is mounted. The bottom of drain cavity 25 is alsosubstantially a drain orifice and, in the depicted embodiment, is formedby an opposing drain grate 16 member such that a debris filtration boxis formed thereby through which water can flow downwardly into theinterior of a culvert pipe 24. The double grate feature enables framemember 26 to contain a suitable filtration aggregate material, such aspolystyrene beads, to provide enhanced biological and debris filtrationof the incoming drainage water prior to entering culvert pipe 24.

The design features of culvert inlet adapter 15 as fitted onto culvertpipe 24 are particularly well-suited for an application in which aculvert drain apparatus 20 is utilized in place of open ditch typedrainage systems. As depicted and explained in further detail withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4, culvert drain apparatus 20 is preferablydisposed within a suitable earthen trench and backfilled such that mostof the apparatus, except for the surface of the drain inlet orificecovered by drain grate 16, is buried underground. FIGS. 3A and 3B depictcross-section and overhead views, respectively, of culvert drainapparatus 20 as disposed in a backfilled manner in accordance with thepresent invention. As shown in the cross-section view of FIG. 3A, thelateral sides 28 of frame member serve a spacer function for raising thewater intake level of the drain inlet orifice to the extent required toaccommodate a desired depth of backfill. To this end, the height oflateral sides 28 is preferably greater than 10 cm.

As further depicted in FIG. 3A, culvert inlet adapter 15 is mounted insubstantially centered alignment with a slot orifice 14 which islongitudinally disposed as an open channel through the upper wallsurface of culvert pipe 24. With the drain inlet orifice raised andexposed at the surface of a perforated cap member such as drain 16 aboveground level 19, such that water can freely drain through frame member26 and into culvert pipe 24 through slot orifice 14, culvert drainapparatus 20 can be utilized to simultaneously serve the traditionalculvert function (i.e. underground transverse drain or conduit fortransporting water between open input/output mouth ends 29 such as usedunder roads or between water collection bodies) while also providing thelengthwise water collection function of open ditches.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the culvert inlet adapter of the presentinvention may preferably include coupling straps 21 extending laterallyto securely couple frame member 26 and saddle sheet members 22 to thesurface of culvert pipe 24. This feature is useful when, given thesimplicity and consequent efficiency of manufacturing standard culvertpiping, culvert pipe 24 and culvert inlet adapter 15 are produced inseparate manufacturing processes after which culvert drain apparatus 20is assembled by mounting culvert inlet adapter 15 longitudinally onto asection of culvert pipe 24. As further illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B,sheet members 22 preferably comprise corrugated sheet metal that provideadditional lengthwise stability particularly when the culvert pipe iscorrugated. In a further post-manufacturing assembly feature, and asdepicted in FIGS. 2B and 3A, saddle sheet members 22 provide structuralsupport and stability for maintaining frame member 26 mounted in itsintended longitudinal alignment as well as replacing the breached upperwall of culvert pipe 24 as the primary weight bearing member opposingthe backfill.

With reference to FIG. 4A, there is depicted a cross-section view of anassembled culvert drain apparatus 35 in accordance with an alternateembodiment of the present invention. Specifically, culvert drainapparatus 35 includes multiple, stacked drain boxes, including anintermediate drain box 38 and a top filtration drain box 30, which aresubstantially similar in structure and function as frame member 26. Asshown in the depicted embodiment, the drain boxes 30 and 38 are stackedvertically over frame member 26 to increase the spacer depth requiredfor deeper backfill applications. FIG. 4B illustrates top filtrationdrain box 30 which preferably includes liquid impermeable lateral sides32 supporting a dual sided drain grate 34. Together, lateral sides 32and drain grates 34 contain an aggregate material 36 which preferablycomprises polystyrene beads that provides a suitably biological filterforum for reducing nitrate levels such as may be introduced by excessiveentry of vegetative debris such as cut grass.

While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments,it is contemplated that alterations, permutations, and equivalentsthereof will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponreading this specification in view of the drawings supplied herewith. Itis therefore intended that the invention and any claims related theretoinclude all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents that areencompassed by the spirit and scope of this invention.

1. A culvert inlet adapter for a longitudinally extensive culvert pipehaving a longitudinally extensive slot orifice disposed therein, saidadapter comprising: a longitudinally extensive frame member having araised drain inlet orifice; and sheet members extending in a saddle-likemanner from each of two lateral sides of said frame member to positionsaid frame member on top of a longitudinally extensive culvert pipe,whereby fluid passes down through said culvert inlet adaptor and intosaid culvert pipe.
 2. The culvert inlet adapter of claim 1, furthercomprising coupling straps for securely coupling said frame member andsheet members to the surface of a culvert pipe.
 3. The culvert inletadapter of claim 1, wherein each of said sheet members extendsdownwardly in a flexible manner on opposing lateral sides of said framemember in a curved wing-like manner.
 4. The culvert inlet adapter ofclaim 3, wherein said sheet members extend from the base of or below theopposing lateral sides of said frame member.
 5. The culvert inletadapter of claim 1, wherein said sheet members comprise corrugated sheetmetal.
 6. The culvert inlet adapter of claim 1, wherein said framemember includes a drain cavity defined by said raised drain inletorifice supported by lateral side support surfaces.
 7. The culvert inletadapter of claim 1, wherein said raised drain inlet orifice is capped bya liquid permeable member.
 8. The culvert inlet adapter of claim 7,wherein said liquid permeable member comprises a perforated cap member.9. The culvert inlet adapter of claim 7, wherein said liquid permeablemember comprises a drain grate.
 10. The culvert inlet adaptor of claim1, further comprising aggregate material disposed within said framemember.
 11. The culvert inlet adaptor of claim 10, wherein saidaggregate material comprises a loosely clustered mass of individualmineral-based particles.
 12. The culvert inlet adapter of claim 11,wherein said aggregate material comprises inert polystyrene particles.13. A culvert drain apparatus comprising: a culvert pipe section havinga longitudinally extensive slot orifice; and a culvert inlet adapterlongitudinally fitted onto said culvert pipe section over said slotorifice, said culvert drain inlet adapter comprising: a frame memberhaving a raised drain inlet orifice; and a liquid permeable memberdisposed across said drain inlet orifice.
 14. The culvert drainapparatus of claim 13, wherein said culvert inlet adapter furthercomprises two lateral sides and sheet members extending in a saddle-likemanner from each of said two lateral sides of said frame member.
 15. Theculvert drain apparatus of claim 13, wherein said liquid permeablemember comprises a perforated cap member.
 16. The culvert inlet adapterof claim 13, wherein said liquid permeable member comprises a draingrate.
 17. The culvert drain apparatus of claim 13, wherein said framemember comprises a filtration drain box having liquid permeable upperand lower surfaces and liquid impermeable side support surfaces.
 18. Theculvert drain apparatus of claim 17, further comprising aggregatematerial contained within said filtration drain box.
 19. The culvertdrain apparatus of claim 18, wherein said aggregate material comprises aloosely clustered mass of individual mineral-based particles.
 20. Theculvert drain apparatus of claim 18, wherein said aggregate materialcomprises inert polystyrene particles.
 21. The culvert drain apparatusof claim 13, wherein said frame member comprises a plurality ofvertically stacked drain boxes having liquid permeable upper and lowersurfaces and liquid impermeable side support surfaces.
 22. A method ofinstalling a culvert drain apparatus comprising the steps of: providinga longitudinally extensive slot orifice in a culvert pipe, said culvertpipe being partially buried such that the upper portion of the culvertpipe remains exposed; positioning a culvert inlet adapter onto saidculvert pipe section to cover said slot orifice, said culvert draininlet adapter comprising a frame member having a raised drain inletorifice and a liquid permeable member disposed across said drain inletorifice; and depositing backfill material about said culvert inletadaptor such that the surface of said backfill material is equal to orabove said liquid permeable member such that fluid will drain into saiddrain inlet orifice.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising thestep of disposing an aggregate material within said frame member. 24.The method of claim 22, further comprising securing said culvert inletadaptor to said culvert pipe.
 25. The method of claim 22, wherein saidstep of providing a longitudinally extensive slot orifice in a culvertpipe is performed prior to burial of the culvert pipe.
 26. The method ofclaim 22, wherein said step of providing a longitudinally extensive slotorifice in a culvert pipe is performed after burial of the culvert pipe.27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of removing aportion of the backfill material covering said culvert pipe prior tosaid step of providing a longitudinally extensive slot orifice in saidculvert pipe.